Listen To:

Selected MP3s of guitar instrumentals, jazz, big band, and classic easy listening from the original vinyl.

Welcome to Guitars & All That Jazz

Welcome to Guitars & All That Jazz

Guitars & All That Jazz was a radio station that webcast via Live365 for 11 years, ending in June 2011. The playlist consisted of guitar instrumentals, jazz, big band, early rock 'n' roll, lounge music and classic easy listening.

I hope to share some of this music with you via this blog. Most of it will be taken from the original vinyl (LPs and 45s) , cassettes and the occasional commercially unavailable CD.

Here's hoping you'll find something to enjoy. Please note files are available only for a limited time.

I urge you to purchase the digital version of the albums featured, either on CD or via download, wherever possible.

Listen to the Music

There are now two music streams. Click the appropriate player to the right.

1. Guitars & All That Jazz:Five hours of the best in jazz, guitars and other instrumental gems. New songs are added weekly.

2. Tiki Shores: Music to sweep you away to a tropical isle, a South American dance floor or a bossa nova on the beach at Rio. About 4.5 hours of classic exotica music, Latin rhythms and bossa nova.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Merlin & His Trio - The Swinging Hi-Fi Organ

You're probably looking at this and thinking ... Hmmm ... Is this something I really want to hear?

Don't be put off by the geeky looking cover or the wimpy title. Inside is a wonderful LP of down-to-earth organ and sax R&B grooves courtesy of Merlin and His Trio, whoever they might have been. I believe this came out in 1959 or 1960 and was probably recorded several years earlier.

Think Wild Bill Davis or Bill Doggett and you'll have a pretty good idea of what you'll hear. To whet your appetite check out the sample track.

Bluer Than Blue

The Swinging Hi-Fi Organ was issued on the bargain basement Bravo! label, put out by Pickwick Sales, a company that was originally headquartered in Freeport, Long Island, N.Y. Many of the Bravo releases -- there were about 60 of them -- were reissued several years later on Grand Prix, another Pickwick imprint, with the same catalogue numbers and identical front covers. Some of these albums, on both labels, were in mono only.

The Swinging Hi-Fi Organ still turns up in thrift stores, so grab it if you see it. However, there are several other LPs sporting the Merlin name that, unless you're a fan of roller-rink style organ music, you can safely ignore.

4 comments:

What a shame it was on Pickwick/Bravo [K 126] LP 1960 yes indeed that was a label that did not give artists credits with there bargain discounted LP's this being apart of The Grand Prix Series by Pickwick International Inc. Long Island City NY but plenty of soul jazz combo heart on "Bluer Than Blue" thanks ☮ldhíppíèЯíck

I just picked this up album up at the Salvation Army for .49 cents - along with some Ferrante & Teicher, and the soundtrack to A Man And A Woman. The Swinging Organ sounds like a good buy. I have a small, but growing record collection - but no record player yet. So thank you for this sample... I wish I had known about Guitars & All That Jazz when they were on the air. I would have been all over it.

Glad I could help lead you to some great music. If you click on the Guitars & All That Jazz Music Stream link on the right hand side of any page on this blog you will hear a five-hour playlist of the same music that played on Guitars & All That Jazz radio. The selections change regularly. Enjoy.

Guitars & All That Jazz

Tiki Shores

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